How to Trust God After Incredible Loss
This morning I listened to the book of 1 Peter on audio, and some of the beginning verses in Chapter 1 spoke to the topic of today’s broadcast. 1 Peter 1:2-7 reads,
God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.
And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
Today we are talking about the death of loved ones. Today’s guest lost his mother, wife, and one of his daughters in a horrific accident. In a moment, he became a single father of three children and grief brought great darkness over their home.
While we can look to passages such as 1 Peter, which remind us to have hope in our inheritance to come—our hope of heaven—we still must live with heartache on earth. Sometimes great heartache. While we don’t want our faith to be tested sometimes it is. And sometimes, as with Jerry Sittser, our stories can bring hope to others also going through great heartache.
So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world, 1 Peter 1:7 says. Today we’re going to hear a heartbreaking story, but one that can give each of us hope. Jerry says, “The experience of loss does not have to be the defining moment in our lives. Instead, the defining moment can be our response to the loss. It is not what happens to us that matters so much as what happens in us.”
You may need your tissues for this episode, but I know that through it you can find hope.
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Mentioned in This Episode
A Grace Disguised | Jerry Sittser
John 11
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I recently lost my husband 7-24-22. We were married 19+ years.
I was married before and my husband died after 20+ years.
Im devastated to say the least. Im closer to God than Ive ever been but I just don’t know why this happened to me. My heart is broken into a zillion pieces. I will not marry again. Never!
Im 64 years old. I have 3 grown children and 4 high grandchildren.
I have mom and dad. They are in their 80s. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister. Im the oldest.
Im not a bad person. So why me?? I have 3 english mastiffs. I wasn’t suppose to raise them by myself. My husband and I talked. We did not get them to get rid of. They are 2-2 and 16 months. It is alot for one person My family won’t help. They like little dogs
Please dear God help
Me make it through the night. My pups need me and I need you. Tomorrow is another day. I might feel better tomorrow. I love you and need your loving arms wrapped around me.
Am I feeling pity or what. Will you pray for me
Dear Lord, please be with Kathy. She is overwhelmed and feels overrun by facing everything alone. Be with her, guide her, and protect her. I pray that she will draw close to you and that she will feel your presence in new ways. I know her life will never be the same, but I pray that she will feel your comfort in every dark place.